The Best Countries to Travel for Vegetarians
Traveling is all about learning about different cultures and trying new things–and a big part of that is food. Not that I, personally, wouldn’t go somewhere that I wasn’t excited about the food (I mean, Serbia is one of my favorite countries to travel and it’s terrible for vegetarians), but it is a HUGE bonus.
Some cuisines are naturally more vegetarian-friendly, while some countries have high numbers of vegetarians and therefore cater for the demand. I wouldn’t say I’ve ever been somewhere that it was extraordinarily difficult to find vegetarian options, but some places are definitely easier and tastier than others. I decided to make a list of some of the best countries I’ve been to for vegetarian eats to help get my fellow veggies excited about post-covid traveling and dining–and also just because I love thinking about food!
Italy
Although this list is in no particular order, I went ahead and put Italy first because it’s kind of a DUH choice. Italian cuisine is one of the most well-loved and celebrated in the world, and it happens to be brimming with vegetarian dishes. Pasta, pizza, sandwiches–all have common vegetarian versions you can find anywhere.
India
This is another place that’s pretty obvious, considering India leads the world by a lot in number of vegetarians. Many Indian communities have been vegetarians for centuries, meaning the cuisine has specifically developed to be vegetarian–and it’s delicious! Indian is easily one of my favorite cuisines: it’s hard to beat when it comes to diversity of dishes and flavor. I actually wasn’t a vegetarian yet when I went to India, but I still ate plenty of vegetarian food. I mean, who doesn’t love a paneer curry?! But I also had south Indian food for the first time and was amazed by just how much variety there is in Indian cuisine. Also, I would totally eat breakfast if I could have idli sambar every morning. (Don’t take that the wrong way; I’m just not an early morning eater!)
My favorite dishes–other than idli sambar–are the classic palak paneer (spinach paneer curry) and kadai paneer (pepper/tomato paneer curry), which I like to eat with garlic naan and green chutney. When I’m cooking at home, though, I make healthier dishes like vegan versions of dal and chana masala.
Sri Lanka
This island country is often overshadowed by or lumped in with its much larger neighbor, India, but it has its own distinct culture and cuisine. Yes, there are lots of curries, but they have about as much in common with Indian curries as Thai curries do. Which is to say…not much! But vegetarianism does also play a big role in Sri Lankan cuisine. Vegetarian options are widely available, and many are naturally vegan, too. Some especially unique must-try Sri Lankan dishes are kottu, fried roti pieces with vegetables (think fried rice or fried noodles–only roti is the carb), egg hoppers (thin crepe things, kind of), and coconut sambol, one of the greatest condiments in the whole dang world.
UK and Germany
Obviously these are two very different countries, but I put them together because they’re on this list for the same reasons: they both have traditionally meat-dominated cuisines, but they both have a high population of vegetarians and therefore many, many vegetarian options. Not only are there many vegetarian restaurants, but pretty much every restaurant has vegetarian options, and supermarkets have a huge selection of veggie products. Even a remote little pub in the English countryside will have a veg dish on offer, and Germany’s cities are some of the most vegetarian-friendly places in the world.
Greece
Greece is easily one of my favorite foodie destinations (as much as it pains me to say “foodie destinations” unironically). Greek cuisine is naturally very vegetarian-friendly, with many dishes that star fresh produce, cheese, and yogurt. Plus, the bright, fresh flavors perfectly match the mood of traveling through sunny Greece. Is there anything better than sitting outside enjoying some retsina and a few Greek small plates?
Bouyourdi! Also, I would like to assure you I am only drinking Pepsi because they didn’t have Coke.
The ever-popular dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with rice) and tzatziki (cucumber garlic yogurt dip) are firm favorites, but there are many more delicious options. I also love gigantes (butter beans in tomato sauce) and bouyourdi, a melty cheese and pepper dip I had for the first time last time I was in Greece. I like to call it “pizza soup” and it is probably one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten.
Turkey
Turkish food is like a mix between Greek and Middle Eastern: lots of veggie-centric meze dishes, breads, legumes, and seafood and grilled meats. Turkish cuisine shares a number of similar meze dishes with Greece, Lebanon, Syria, and other nearby countries: cucumber yogurt dip like tzatziki, eggplant and tahini dip, hummus, and one of my favorite foods of all time, muhammara (red pepper and walnut dip).
Turkish cuisine also has a fantastic variety of breads, like the ubiquitous simit (a bagel-esque loop covered in sesame seeds) as well as cheesy pizza-like pide, a boat-shaped bread that sails its toppings straight to your heart.
I also love Turkish breakfasts. Dishes like cilbir (eggs in yogurt sauce) and menemen (spiced scrambled eggs and veggies) are great and naturally vegetarian, but I really like the classic Turkish breakfast spread: olives, cheese, spreads, eggs, and plenty of bread.
Try my recipe for Cilbir with Urfa Chili Brown Butter for a taste of Turkey at home!
Georgia
Georgia—the little country in the Caucasus, not the US state—is full of culinary delights. Georgian food is amazing and criminally underrated. I mean, cheese bread is basically its own category in Georgian cuisine. Cheese bread! I think I could probably just repeat “cheese bread” a bunch of times and you’d get the picture, but I will try to elaborate.
Plus, it’s a beautiful country!
Cheese bread in Georgia is called khachapuri and there are numerous different types. One of the most well-known is a boat-shaped khachapuri filled with cheese and butter and topped with an egg. Is it healthy? Lol. Is it delicious? Duh.
Another staple of Georgian cuisine are khinkali, dumplings filled with meat, vegetables, or cheese. I had lots of different vegetarian types when I was in Tbilisi, but maybe the most common is mushroom. They are all good, though! Except the one I had that was filled with mashed potato. No thanks to that one.
Something that might be surprising is that Georgian cuisine is also very vegan-friendly. This is because of “fasting menus”. As part of their Orthodox faith, some Georgians observe “fasting” days or periods. But it doesn’t mean they don’t eat; it just means they don’t eat meat or dairy. So fasting menus are super vegan-friendly! A fasting menu might contain things like lobio (a bean stew), veggie khinkali, bread filled with vegetables or beans, salads, and the omnipresent badrijani, an eggplant roll filled with walnut paste and pomegranate seeds.
Malaysia
Malaysia’s melting pot of cultures makes it–in my opinion–one of the best places in Southeast Asia for vegetarians. Southeast Asia in general has a Buddhist tradition of vegetarianism, but Malaysia also has large populations of ethnic Chinese and Indian people with their own vegetarian traditions, so you can find Chinese and/or Indian vegetarian food most anywhere you go. I especially love Indian food in Malaysia, but don’t forget to try some vegetarian Malaysian food, too!
Thailand and Vietnam
I was a little conflicted about whether or not to include Thailand and Vietnam on this list. While there is a long tradition of vegetarianism in both of these countries, it’s not always that easy to find options. This is because non-vegetarian restaurants often don’t have anything vegetarian on the menu, so you have to actually go to a vegetarian restaurant. And if there isn’t one nearby, you might end up eating a cheese toastie from 7-11. Okay, okay, I admit it…I used to eat toasties with no excuse, just pure laziness.
But, I decided to include Thailand and Vietnam because they do have really great veggie food! I’ve written about vegetarian food in Bangkok a lot since I used to live there, but Chiang Mai in the north is really the capital of vegetarian Thai food. I am obsessed with noodle soups and I think Vietnam may have Thailand beat in that category, and there’s so much more than just pho! Vegetarian restaurants in Vietnam have veggie versions of pretty much everything, even things that don’t make any dang sense, so you can try anything you want.
I would have liked to put Myanmar on this list, but right now it’s not a great idea to travel there, unfortunately. If you’re in Bangkok and want to try Burmese food, I highly recommend Kalyana, which I included in my blog post Bangkok’s Absolute Best Vegetarian Meals.
USA and Canada
It’s hard not to include these two on a list like this, considering the US and Canada have some of the most exciting food scenes in the world. Of course, they are huge, diverse countries, so not everywhere is going to be super vegetarian-friendly, but there are just SO many great places.
I’m from the Pacific Northwest, so I’m very familiar with the thriving vegetarian and vegan scenes in Seattle and Portland. Even though I’m from Seattle, I think I like Portland vegetarian options better. Just over the border, Vancouver, BC has some great veggie spots. But also, even if you don’t go to a vegetarian restaurant, you’d be hard pressed to find a place that doesn’t have a few vegetarian/vegan options. I went to a buffalo wing spot in Portland and got some fire emoji veggie nugs like it’s no big deal, and that’s the kind of thing I miss living abroad.
There are plenty more great countries for veggie travelers; these are just some of my personal favorites. I also only included places I’ve been, otherwise you would probably see Lebanon on here (I love Lebanese food!!).
I can’t wait to keep discovering more of the best vegetarian food in the world. Where would you recommend?
